Third Time's a Charm
by MichelleS-9
Summary: Set after Crash and Burn  SaraCatherine head to the bar for that drink Catherine promised Sara.


The Third Time's a Charm

A/N - I've been trying to find inspiration for a Catherine/Sara fan fic, and it finally hit while watching an episode. This is based on the last few lines of episode 'Crash and Burn', but the rest of it is not consistent with any storyline from CSI.

Pairing: Catherine/Sara

Rating: M for adult content. This fic contains femmeslash!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned them, but alas, it is not to be.

The case was solved, but Sara had one more thing to do.

He stared at her, disbelieving, but it was finally clear to Sara that Hank wasn't what she wanted.

"I'll see you around."

She turned and walked away, not looking back, not wanting to see his face. Truth be told, she had made her choice a while ago, since she first saw that angel in the lab. Hank was more of a pleasant distraction, a mere time consumer. Instead, she pulled open the car door, and slid into the passenger seat, the object of her dreams behind the wheel.

"You got plans?" the angel asked.

"Nope."

"Wanna get a beer?"

"Drive."

Catherine pulled out of the parking lot, a small smile on her face. This was typical Sara: strong, unemotional, and monosyllabic. Catherine let her have her silence, and steered them towards the local bar. Sara watched out the window, until Catherine signaled for the turn.

"Do me a favor, Cath. Keep driving. I'll take you to my favorite bar. "

"Alright… I expect a drink for this though."

"Fair enough. You don't scare easily, right?"

"That sounds ominous. What do you have in store for me?"

"You'll see."

Catherine kept driving, finding herself not the least bit concerned, to her surprise. A few quiet minutes later, Sara pointed out a darkened side road.

"Pull off here."

Catherine steered them down the street, wondering if Sara actually knew of a bar down the rather poorly maintained street, when a small neon sign came into view. _The Bear Cave_, it proudly proclaimed. A parking lot off the side was packed, and Catherine had to search for a few minutes before finding a spot big enough for the SUV.

Sara stepped out, and waited for Catherine to join her.

As they headed up to the entrance, Catherine noticed the line. At least fifty people waited outside.

"I hope you have a backup plan. I don't think we're getting in tonight."

Sara just smiled at her, the first genuine smile Catherine had seen all day. Sara bypassed the line, Catherine right on her heels.

"Hey Saul," Sara said, greeting the bouncer.

"Sara! Love, where have you been? Haven't seen you around here for… must be over a month now."

"Yeah, sorry about that Saul, I've been… preoccupied."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with that bombshell you brought with you?" He looked at her with a knowing smile on his face.

"Ah, Catherine is a work acquaintance. So don't get any ideas." She punched him gently on the arm. He laughed, and stood aside for them.

"Have fun ladies."

Sara stepped through the door, and Catherine flashed Saul a smile before following Sara.

Catherine looked around, slightly surprised at the clientele. The room was packed, and she felt someone brush up against her. Turning around, she saw a short miniskirt. Looking up, she could clearly make out an Adam's apple gracing the heavily made up features.

"Umm, Sara?"

"Yes, Catherine?"

"A gay bar?"

"Yep."

"Just checking. How about that drink?"

"Coming right up." As Sara made her way up to the crowded bar, Catherine looked around for a table. In the back corner, she slid into an empty chair.

Even through the crowd, Sara found her quickly. It was hard to miss the lithe redhead, especially when a small crowd had gathered around her.

Sara pushed her way through. A short, but muscular butch had Catherine's hand wrapped in a tight grip. Catherine struggled with the woman, and quickly overpowered her. As the other woman's hand slapped against the table, Sara could hear a chorus of groans echoing from the gathered people.

"Alright ladies. Pay up." Catherine held the hand not pressing down on her victim's hand out, and crumpled bills were pressed into it grudgingly. The crowd wandered away, still groaning.

Catherine finally let go of the other woman's hand, and she got to her feet slowly.

"Never thought you had it in ya princess." Turning around, she noticed Sara watching her with a grin. "Well, what do ya know, Sidle's back."

"Toni," Sara said, still smiling. "Looks like you just got your ass kicked."

"Oh yeah, she beat me fair and square." Looking back to Catherine, she sighed. "I was gonna ask you for your phone number, but Sidle always beats me to the punch." Without another word, she turned and strode away.

Sara sat down next to Catherine. "Well, I see you've already made friends."

"What can I say? The ladies love me. What did she mean about you always beating her to the punch?" she asked bluntly.

Sara briefly considered ignoring it, but felt like she owed it to Catherine to answer.

"We typically go after the same type of women, and I typically win." Sara held her breath. This was the first time she had revealed her sexuality to anyone at the lab. Not even Grissom knew this much about her.

"Ah." Catherine fell silent, and took the beer Sara offered her. After a few minutes, she couldn't resist a couple more questions. "How long?"

Sara understood the vague question. "Always. I didn't always let myself feel it, though."

"And Hank was?"

"A distraction."

"From what?"

This was the question Sara had dreaded. "From the inevitable," she finally said.

Catherine seemed to accept this. She was silent for a few minutes more.

"Why are you telling me now?"

Sara finally met her eyes. "Because I trust you. Because I'm tired of being completely alone. Because I consider you a friend, and this is a part of me that I don't share with just anyone." Sara held her breath. This was it. She finally cracked. Her and Catherine were on the brink of friendship for a while; they just needed one of them to make the first move. Sara waited, watching Catherine take a slow drink.

"Well, as far as gay bars go, I prefer _Salt and Pepper_, the new club on the strip, but this place isn't so bad." She took another long sip.

Sara was slightly confused. "You've been to gay clubs?"

"Well yeah. Where else would I meet available lesbians in Vegas?"

"Huh?" Sara couldn't seem to form complete sentences.

Catherine laughed a little at Sara's look. "Sara, I've been openly Bi-Sexual for a very long time. Since before my dancing days, even."

Sara's mind was moving too fast for her to even process. Catherine was bi? The girl she had been pining over for years? She could have made a move this whole time?

Catherine was watching Sara intently. She could tell the brunette was having a hard time processing it; hell, Sara being gay was throwing her for a loop too. It certainly gave her new ammo for her fantasies. She decided to break the silence again.

"So Sidle, you said you and Toni go after the same type of girls. What's your type?"

Sara though for a second, but resisted the "You", that came to mind first. "Tall, strong, feminine, and a little older. What about you?"

"I don't really have a 'type'. But great legs and a cute smile don't hurt." It didn't escape Catherine's notice that Sara had described her perfectly. "I need another drink. This round's on me." She stood and sauntered away, feeling Sara's eyes on her, and loving it. The next shift was going to be _very _interesting.

Catherine's premonition was right on the money. The shift started out with a bang. Grissom sent Sara and her to a crime scene on the outskirts of the city.

"I'm surprised you're even conscious today," Catherine remarked as they hopped in the SUV. "After that 5th shot, I figured you were down for the count."

"I'm just grateful that you stopped drinking after two drinks, or else we'd still be there, fighting off those two chicks."

"I didn't think they were going to let me take you. I'm glad Saul stepped in."

"Yeah, he's a good guy… and handy with a pool stick too."

"Hey, you weren't really helping the situation any," Catherine reminded her. "I seem to remember you telling them to follow us back to your place."

Sara blushed. "Well, they were cute, even if psychotic could also be used to describe them."

"Cute doesn't justify threatening me with a broken bottle."

"I still can't believe you started a bar fight."

"_I _started a bar fight? Who was in her bra on the bar?"

"Oh look, here we are." Sara remarked, effectively avoiding the question.

They got out of the car, and followed the police officer to where the body lay, facedown on the pavement between two large buildings. Sara looked around, while the Coroner finished his initial observations.

"Will you turn the body over please?"

As the Coroner turned her over, both Sara and Catherine gasped.

In Gil Grissom's office, Sara laid down the evidence she collected on his already cluttered desk.

"You're going to have to assign new CSIs to this case, Grissom."

He looked up in surprise at her and Catherine, who looked away.

"And why is that?"

"Because when you start investigating, you will find out that she may have been involved in a bar fight last night, at _The Bear Cave_. And somewhere in there, you will discover who she fought with, and… well…"

"She fought with us, Gil," Catherine said from behind Sara.

Grissom looked back and forth between them. "You were in a bar fight last night, and your opponent ended up dead today?"

"Yep."

"You know what this means, right ladies?" He asked quietly.

"That we just became suspects." Sara whispered.

He looked at them both. "Starting right now, you are both on paid leave. I'm assigning Nick and Warrick to this case." He looked back down, and Sara and Catherine left his office. By silent agreement, they left the lab and got into Sara's car.

"Well, I've got coffee and a rented DVD. Sound good until they haul us in for questioning?" She asked Catherine. The redhead nodded, and Sara pulled away from the lab.

Hours later, they were curled up on Sara's worn couch, watching some romantic comedy neither of them were really interested in. They mostly just sat there, each stealing glances at the other, waiting for someone to break the silence. Catherine was the first to speak

"I finally get time off, and Lindsay is with Eddie for their annual camping trip."

Sara didn't know how to respond. Instead she nodded. "That's how it goes, I guess," she said finally. Neither of them wanted to ask what was really burning on their minds: What was going to happen out of this?

Catherine was the first to break. "Sara," she whispered. The brunette turned to her. "I'm scared," she admitted, the first tear escaping from her watery eyes.

Sara moved towards her, and placed a shaking hand under her chin. With her free hand, she wiped the tear away before it ran down the smooth cheek.

"Don't cry, Cath. It's ok." Sara pulled Catherine to her, holding her close. Catherine's hands went around Sara's back, and she buried her head in the crook of the brunette's neck. Sara placed a light kiss on her head, and held her tightly.

After a few minutes, Catherine leaned back slightly, and stared up at Sara.

"Thank you," she whispered, almost inaudibly. Their eyes locked, and it seemed that they both leaned in at the same time. As their lips drew closer, a knock came at the door.

Sara sighed, and rested her forehead against Catherine's, and settled for planting a quick kiss on her forehead before getting up to answer the knock, knowing exactly who it was going to be.

She opened it without looking, and behind the door stood Warrick and Nick. She stepped back, and they entered without speaking. Sara led the way back to her living room, and resumed her former location. Catherine sat up, and greeted the two men.

"Nick, Warrick." They remained standing, and Nick flashed Catherine a quick smile.

"Alright guys, we have to ask you a few questions. First off, what happened at 'The Bear Cave' last night?" Warrick broke in. "And what were you doing there?"

Catherine glanced at Sara quickly, and spoke.

"We were going out for a drink after yesterday's case. Sara knew the bouncer, so we got in easily. Had a few drinks, and these two blondes came over. One of them was the victim from the alley. The other one… uh… well, tall and blonde." Sara spoke up.

"Tattoo on her upper arm. A sun or something."

"Well what started the altercation?"

"Umm well ah…" Sara broke off. Catherine took over.

"Well Sara was dancing on the bar earlier in the evening, and they came over hoping for her number."

"And then?"

Catherine blushed. "I told them no. They didn't take too kindly to that answer," she said, remembering the scene.

The two girls had looked at each other, and shrugged off Catherine's friendly "no". They stepped closer to Sara, but Catherine was no pushover. She stood, and stayed between Sara and her admirers.

"Can I help you ladies with something?" she asked them, crossing her hands over her chest.

"Yeah. You can move, grandma. We're looking at that fine piece of ass behind you."

Sara laughed in her drunken state. "I'm already looking at the hottest ass in the place." She reached out and gently tugged Catherine onto her lap. Sara ran her hands across the redhead's thighs. Catherine turned around, still sitting on Sara, now straddling her lap. Catherine's hands threaded in the dark tresses and she leaned down towards Sara's slightly parted lips. From behind, there was a loud crash.

They parted quickly, as the taller blonde strode towards them, holding the neck of a broken beer bottle. The other blonde looked on, slightly shocked, but didn't move with her. The advancing girl turned back. "C'mon Kate."

Kate still didn't move. "No Beth. I'm not listening to you any more." She turned and walked towards the door.

Catherine used the distraction to her advantage, and slammed the other girl to the floor, kicking the weapon from her hand with one high heeled shoe.

They left Saul to deal with the blonde still on the floor.

"So that's how it happened? Do you know where we can find the bouncer now? Or Beth?"

"Saul works at 'The Bear Cave' on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. On the other nights, he's the bouncer for 'Salt and Pepper' on the strip." Sara said. "This was the first time I've met Beth or Kate, and we didn't exactly exchange addresses."

Warrick nodded. "This will do for now. We'll keep you informed about the investigation." They turned and headed out, leaving the two women alone.

Catherine glanced at Sara, and Sara smiled and motioned her over. "C'mere," she whispered. The redhead complied immediately, sinking into Sara's strong arms with a sigh. With her head nestled against Sara's shoulder, Catherine breathed in deeply, smelling Sara's subtle perfume, mixed with a scent that was uniquely her.

"You know," Catherine said quietly. "I wondered for a while if you were into women."

"Oh yeah? Was I that hard to peg?" she laughed. "What made you wonder?"

"I think it was more hoping." Catherine confessed.

Sara was silent for a moment, taking in what she said.

Catherine mistook her silence, and started to get up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dumped this on you. I'll go." As she tried to pull out of Sara's embrace, the brunette stopped her.

"No. Don't leave." Catherine turned toward her, and Sara reached her hand up to gently stroke Catherine's cheek. "If I told you that I was disappointed when I first heard you had a daughter and an ex-husband, would that make you feel better?"

Catherine smiled. "Disappointed because I was single?"

"No, disappointed because I thought that definitely meant you were straight, and you were the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen."

Catherine blushed and turned her head slightly away. Sara gently turned it back.

"No sense hiding now. Besides, I really want to kiss you." She leaned in, lips parted slightly, and her arm went around Catherine's slight waist. Just as their lips brushed, a knock came at the door. Sara groaned, and pulled back slightly, whispering the Catherine. "You know, I will kiss you, and next time, I won't care who is interrupting." She scowled as she got to her feet and went to the door.

Sara pulled open the door. "Mrs. Hallowell. So nice to see you. Do you need help with anything?"

The older woman smiled. "Oh no dear. But I promised you I would bring you dinner for fixing my sink. I made my famous casserole, and I thought you might like some." She handed Sara a small Tupperware container, and Sara accepted it with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hallowell."

"Well, you always say you'll let me cook for you, but then you never actually let me. Oh you have company," she waved to Catherine, who had sat up on the couch. Catherine smiled warmly. "Well I'll let you get back to your company." She turned and left, and Sara shut the door

"Fixing a sink, huh? So you're handy as well as hot." Catherine said from the living room. Sara smirked but didn't respond.

As Sara bent to put the container into the refrigerator, Catherine got to her feet and followed her into the kitchen. When she stood and turned around, Catherine was there, with her arms around Sara's waist.

"I'm done waiting."

She backed Sara up gently, until her back bumped against the closed refrigerator. Sara couldn't breathe, as Catherine pressed tightly against her, and kissed her soundly.

"Third time's a charm." Sara whispered, breathlessly.

"You're still talking. I must be doing something wrong." Catherine gently kissed a path up her neck.

"Oh, no, you're doing everything right," Sara moaned, tightening her grip around the shorter woman.

Catherine slowly moved backwards, pulling Sara with her. For Sara, it was not fast enough. She reached her arms down and picked Catherine up off the floor, until Catherine wrapped her legs around her waist. Sara carried her back into the living room, and pressed her up against the wall. Using the wall to hold up the woman still tightly wrapped around her waist, Sara slid her hands under the tight fitting top Catherine wore.

Catherine moaned and raised her arms to let Sara remove the garment, the cold temperature of the wall instantly hardening her already taut nipples.

Sara's eyes darkened at the sight of Catherine pushed up against the wall, her head back, eyes tightly shut. The redhead was losing herself in the feeling, in Sara's caress. Sara bent her head down, and ran her tongue lightly across her bra-clad nipple. Catherine's hands went behind her head, holding her there. She reached down to Sara, but the brunette refused to move from her position.

"I can't touch you like this," Catherine complained breathlessly.

Sara moved them away from the wall at Catherine's insistence, and laid the older woman on the couch, her mouth never leaving Catherine's. She gently brushed back Catherine's hair, and kissed the side of her neck.

Catherine pushed her slightly away to tug Sara's T-shirt up over her head. Her skilled hands ran across Sara's flat stomach, causing the brunette to sigh deeply.

Sara gently nudged her thigh in between Catherine's. The action brought Catherine to full attention.

"Sara, this is moving fast."

"Too fast?" Sara asked, pulling away slightly to watch Catherine's eyes. They were dark with desire.

"A little," she admitted, looking away. Sara turned her chin back to make eye contact.

"Don't ever feel bad about saying no," she whispered, kissing Catherine's forehead, and backing off slightly. Catherine didn't let her.

"No, don't move." She wrapped her arms around Sara and softly kissed her once more. "Will you just hold me?" she asked hopefully.

"Always." Sara whispered. "But not here." She stood and helped Catherine to her feet, and led the way to her bedroom off to the side of the large living room. A queen-sized bed took precedence in the simple room.

Sara got into the bed and Catherine slid in after her.

Sara used the remote to turn on the TV against the wall in front of the bed, but Catherine was asleep before she could even set it back down.


End file.
